RHS Rams Corner News

Dear Students and Parents,

I hope you had a restful and joyous holiday season, and I am excited to welcome everyone back as we continue our journey through the school year.

As we start the new year, it's important to remember that we are rapidly approaching the end of the first semester. There are just a few weeks left, and now is the time for our students to be fully focused on finishing strong. I encourage all students to be in school every day, on time, and actively engaged in their learning. This is crucial for earning all the credits necessary to stay on track. If there are any areas where students need extra help or clarification, I urge them to seek support from their teachers immediately. Our teachers are here to help and are dedicated to ensuring every student can succeed.

Students, please take full advantage of the next three weeks. Use this time wisely to improve any grades or complete any outstanding assignments. Your teachers are available to guide you, so don’t hesitate to ask questions and seek assistance where needed.

Parents, your support is vital to your child’s success. Please stay engaged by checking ParentVue regularly to monitor your child’s progress and assignments. If you have any concerns or questions about your child’s academic performance, I encourage you to reach out to their teachers or counselor. We are all here to help your student succeed and to ensure they finish the semester strong.

Warm regards,

Principal Pyles

At this time, AP exams have been ordered and paid for eligible students taking the course. The AP exam schedule will be posted soon to the school website and information will be shared with students via their AP classes. For questions about AP exams and student registration status, please contact Mr. Sidney Hankerson, AP Coordinator.

For any students who are interested in taking AP courses in the future, there will be an AP Course Fair for students on January 3rd at lunch throughout the school halls.

IB students have been registered for IB exams in May. Please note that the IB does not give make up exams so it is important that students test on the assigned test dates. The exam schedule can be found here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/13nIj6NXgWu033lt4qAjNQiHUmd8RvTv2h00P86UeF5Q/edit?usp=sharing

Welcome back!

We almost made it to the 2nd semester. Quarter 2 ends January 28th. Please make sure players are checking on their grades to be eligible at the start of the 3rd quarter.

Make-up picture day for those that missed their winter picture will be January 8th at 2:45pm in the cafeteria.

Registration for Spring Sports opens February 1st via Parent Vue - upload the student physical during registration.

Congratulations to the following students for becoming a Posse. By becoming a Posse, students have undergone a 3 month long interview process to receive scholarships and admissions to selective universities along with mentorship throughout their college experience.

Love Shama Georges

German Diaz-Pena

Marvin Kongo

Congratulations from your RHS community!!!

Seniors, college admissions offices will close for the winter holidays from Dec. 20 - Jan. 2. If you need to reach out to a college during this time, please send an email or use your portals, but be patient with expecting a response.

As you begin to hear about college decisions make sure to update Naviance! You may click on “colleges” then “colleges I’m applying to” then “edit” on the right side of the college you are updating.

Please do this for each school you hear about.

Additionally, ensure you complete the scholarship survey every time you are offered a scholarship.

For those needing to complete the FAFSA or the MHEC One-App, please join us on January 8, 2025 in the cafeteria at 5:30pm for assistance.

Recently accepted to early college? Get an ACCUPLACER score on January 14, 2025. Register here

The cast, crew, and orchestra are assembled and ready to hit the ground running with The Addams Family rehearsals. Stay tuned for more updates: performances are in March!

Echoes puts out a yearly magazine that features student writing and artwork. Our 412nd edition is underway in the 2024-25 school year, and we expect it to be one of the most robust yet! Students submit their work, which is then vetted by student editors, and eventually put together in a cohesive book that is available at no cost to the Rockville community. Echoes is currently seeking sponsors to help cover publication costs. We meet every Thursday at lunch.

The Fall 2024 RHS Rams’ Esport Team inaugural campaign was a complete success. RHS led the county throughout the season. If your child is interested in gaming, please have them to reach out to Mr. Barrett.

The Minority Scholars Program is a student-led, student-based, and student-driven program, aimed at closing the opportunity gap. Our goal is to increase the academic achievement of minority students and the number of minority students in Honors and Advanced Placement classes. We aim to do this by improving academic achievement, raising student voice, developing student leaders, enhancing cultural capital and sense of belonging, and reaching out to our community.

Booster Club Updates - Message from Mr. Chung

Join us for our next Booster Meeting!

Jan 08, 2025, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM

Rockville HS Staff Lounge, 2100 Baltimore Rd, Rockville, MD 20851, USA

Meetings are for anyone with an RHS student! However, voting rights at these meetings are only for those who have joined the Booster Club.

On January 22, 2025, there will be senior meetings regarding graduation and senior events.

• The senior student meeting will be held on 01/22/25 in the auditorium during Wellness Block that day.

• The senior parent meeting will be held on 01/22/25 at 7pm in the auditorium

During the meetings, students and parents will receive important information from the principal, graduation coordinators, and senior class sponsor on graduation and related senior activities, senior dues, and ways to get involved in supporting these exciting events.

All seniors must order their cap & gowns by January 17th via the following bitly/QR code: bit.ly/capgown25

Semester 2 parking permits will be available for purchase online beginning January 6th. See RHS website for full information and requirements.

Seniors may submit complete applications on January 21 and 22. Juniors and seniors may submit complete applications on January 23 and 24.

Permits will be issued in the order the complete applications are received until sold out. Please pick up on January 27 and 28. Semester 1 parking permits expire on January 29. Semester 2 enforcement begins on January 30.

The Sexuality and Gender Alliance is a club that provides students who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and their allies, a place to gather and support one another. At Rockville, students use SAGA as a place to meet other students within the community and discuss topical issues. Our goal is to raise awareness for social issues within the LGBTQIA+ community and help to create a safe environment at Rockville.

Thank you!

Casey DeFrancesco

English Teacher

Rockville High School

To help prepare students for college and career, as well as to help maintain safety and security in the school building, all RHS students will be required to have their school IDs on their person when on school property. These student IDs also will be used by students for check-in/check-out processes during the school day, such as for initial arrival to school and late arrivals throughout the school day.

Students are expected to comply with staff requests to show their student IDs, and staff will be required to wear their staff IDs visibly displayed during the school day.

Want to learn about a career during the summer? Student registration for the 2025 Summer RISE program will open at 8AM on Monday, January 13, 2025 and will close at 5PM on Tuesday, February 18, 2025 and can be accessed at http://bit.ly/SummerRISE2025. This FREE program gives you a chance to learn about a career during the summer.

To learn more about the Summer RISE program, sign up for a Parent/Guardian and Student Information Session, visit the Summer RISE website at www.MCPS-SummerRISE.org, and be sure to visit with program staff here at school to learn more about the program.

The 2025 yearbook is available for purchase right now. Order online. The cost is $105 for the yearbook.Payment plans are available. If you need to pay cash or check, please see Ms. McKim in room 2067.

Buy a Yearbook Congratulatory Ad for Your Student! ½ page ads cost $245, ¼ page ads cost $170, and 1/8 page ads cost $95. The deadline for purchase is January 31st.

We have only 200 yearbooks left for sale, make sure you get yours by buying online or bringing cash or check for $105 to Ms. McKim in Room 2067.

Let’s work together to make the second half of the school year the best one yet. I wish you all a successful and fulfilling 2025!

Principal Pyles

Next Edition: February 2025